Through The Eyes Of A Mortal
by wordlings
Summary: "Jane couldn't help thinking that, god or no god, Thor had answered her prayers the moment he fell from the sky." One-shot. Companion piece to 'God Complex'.


Hi! Um. I have an issue with liberally using semi-colons. I am so sorry if it offends you. Honestly, correct me if you must because i throw those puppies in like they're part of my word count.

This is a companion piece to "God Complex", which i recommend you read to understand the concept.

It's unbeta'd, and unedited, and i kind of broke my brain to write it. Because i really wanted it to be good. So i hope it's good. I love exploring the emotional depth of Thor. I think he is largely ignored in favor of his brother in the fandom world, especially in terms of emotion and trauma that doesn't completely revolve around Loki. So anyway...enjoy!

i own nothing. 1,533 words.

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><p><em>Through The Eyes Of A Mortal<em>

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><p>Jane loves logic. She loves it so much that she devoted her life to finding it in one of the most illogical places known to man: outer space. She loves when the pieces come together, sometimes in neat little rows of data and sometimes in streams of incoherence that for some reason just work. Shes a firm believer that she can find an explanation for everything if she digs deep enough, which she does. She never ever stops digging once she's found a problem worth solving (dog with a bone Eric says) and even though she sometimes ends up with migraines, caffeine induced heart palpitations and super secret agencies taking her crap, well, she certainly gets results, delicious results which are always worth it. One of those results turned out to be a giant blonde alien prince- and wow, never had the data ever produced something so kissable- who also moon lighted as a norse diety once-upon-a-time. Jane isn't religious, and her notions about a supreme being are fuzzy at best, so Thor falling from the sky with his magical hammer was a shock in more of a "holy crap I was totally right about the bridge" way than a "my entire belief system just got rocked like a hurricane" way. God was never a problem she was confident enough to dig into, which is saying something, and now she's practically dating one as far as anyone else is concerned.<p>

So, you can imagine Jane's shock when she woke up one morning to find said alien/norse god boyfriend...praying.

At least, that's what she assumed he was doing. He was kneeling by the window with his face upturned and his eyes shut and his palms up. He looked like a greek marble rendition of an angel, ethereal and supplicating. Jane had never seen him so...childlike.

She fumbled a bit with what to do, feeling awkward and like an intruder (which was stupid because it was her apartment and her bedroom). Should she go back to sleep? Should she ask him what he was doing? Should she get down there with him and make sure he wasnt having some alien version of an epileptic fit? Luckily, she didn't have to do anything because a moment later he was up and climbing back into bed.

"Oh, you are awake" He said and kissed her forehead. He didn't sound embarrassed which was good. Embarrassed Thor was cute but not entirely open to answering questions.

"Yeah, barely" Jane smiled. "What were you doing just then?"

"Seeking guidance" Thor replied, his voice low and wistful. Jane nodded but kept her mouth shut. His tone meant Loki thoughts, and Loki thoughts were a minefield. Still, she knew she had that look on her face, the one full of questions and curiosity and dig her heels in need to understand.

Thor was by then very much used to her insatiable curiosity. He smiled at her in a fond way and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Ask your questions, Jane"

She bit her lip. "Who were you seeking guidance from?"

"The Creator"

She'd been expecting him to say his father, or some ancient spirits she'd never heard of, or...really anything but that.

"You find this odd", he said knowingly.

"Well yeah!" She made a 'duh' face. "Does everyone on Asgard believe in a creator?"

"No. Asgardians are of varied beliefs, just as Earth. My father is a believer in none, my mother a believer in fate and mystery. Loki...he has only ever believed in his sorcery"

Jane made a noise of contempt. "Forgive me. His _science_." Thor amended, amused.

"But you choose to believe in a singular, supreme being? Why?"

Thor gave pause. "It is a comfort to me to believe that there is someone beyond vanity and corruption. And it is humbling" he said.

Jane hummed. He tilted his head. "Is that so strange to you Jane Foster?"

"I mean, it's not everyday a god prays to...well, God."

Thor frowned. "I am no god"

"Try telling that to my ancestors", she joked.

Thor's frown became a grimace and his eyes settled somewhere past her shoulder. Jane startled at his change of mood. "Thor?" She tried, sitting up and shifting into his line of sight. "Hey, what'd I say?"

"Jane", he said forcefully. "You must understand something."

"Okay" she replied slowly, and his angry expression gave way to the tired, sad one Jane was becoming all too familiar with. "Thor?"

Thor swallowed, and Jane watched with growing anxiety as he tried to work the words out of his mouth.

"Before coming here, I cannot remember ever thinking of anything but glory and conquest; I knew little of Asgards true struggles and even less of the worlds beyond it. I thought the universe my own personal battle field to fill with the bodies of any who got in my way. And yet in my blood lust I knew nothing of corruption or treachery. I knew nothing of pain. I thought myself immortal. A...god."

Oh. _Oh_. Jane felt a pang in her heart. Her curiosity had twisted a knife in a wound she hadn't even known was there.

"Thor that...that was a long time ago", she offered lamely.

"For you, yes, it must seem a very long time ago," he agreed. He put a hand to her head and smoothed her dark hair back lovingly. "Humans have a way of forgetting the past and forging ahead. I admire it. But often you do not see how the past lingers on you, even in the most subtle ways. Asgard to so many is still home to gods, a myth allowed to exist for our amusement and arrogance. My people saw you as inferior. See you, as inferior"

His smile was self deprecating. "But I know that you are far superior to us in many a way. I know, now, what mortality is and I embrace mine. It is only this idea...this idea of godliness that follows and haunts me. My past taunting me at every turn"

Suddenly Jane could hear a young Eric in her ear, saying something to her in that gruff way of his about the need to heal. _"I know you miss your father kid, and that's never gonna go away. But you've got to let it properly heal Jane. If you don't the scars can get so deep that no one else will see them. And you'll be in more pain then you ever thought possible."_

She shuddered and put her hand on Thor's cheek, resting her fingers along his jaw, and wished she could heal his scars. But Jane could be modest; emotion is not astrophysics, so she didn't try to solve it. She grasped at levity and hoped it brought him comfort.

"There's something you should understand too, Thor. Mortal or god, no one can match human coffee. One batch of Darcy's special brew and there'd be no question who's superior"

Thor's eyes did that gorgeous squint and sparkle thing they did before he burst into rumbling laughter. Jane laughed with him.

"Yes, that ought to settle the matter" he agreed in mirth. "But you mustn't forget the pancakes"

"Yes! Coffee and pancakes. The whole universe will be begging us to share our infinite wisdom before breakfast is over"

They laughed together and then quieted. Jane, propping up on one hand, examined his weary eyes and mouth ready to frown. The space between his eyebrows were already starting to crease again, and she smoothed it away with her thumb.

"Dont stop smiling", she pleaded. He obeyed.

"Ever!" She added. He chuckled and nodded.

"I will do my best. I am sorry to have burdened you with my thoughts"

Jane shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't notice before"

"You could not have" he sighed, and then smiled to keep good on his promise.

"It really bothers you doesn't it?"

She didn't expect him to answer. It was a silly question. But Thor took her hand, ran his thumb along her knuckles and kissed them. "I am no god Jane. Your people..."

"They know", she said before she could think. He needed to believe that, even if it wasn't true.

"Do they?"

Jane felt the pang in her heart again. The image of him kneeling by the window resurfaced in her mind, Thor Almighty, as vulnerable and mortal as the next human being.

She placed a kiss on his palm and linked their fingers. "I know", she said with conviction (the kind someone can only develop by having their theories continuously mocked by the scientific community). "Can that be enough for now?"

Thor nodded, his smile small but warm. "It will have to be"

Jane squeezed his hand. They settled into bed, wrapped around one another, determined to sleep the rest of the morning away. In the place between wakefulness and sleep, Jane couldn't help thinking that, god or no god, Thor had answered her prayers the moment he fell from the sky.


End file.
